Pneumatic action for musical instruments



(HOMO-(181.) I

A. FOWLER.

Pneumatic Action for Musical Instruments.

No. 231,786. Patented Aug. 31,1880.

a, Ill i w l lit t i mm-@454! \l in: 1 ml! i tit! UNTTED STATES PATENT@FFICE AZRO FOWLER, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEIV YORK.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,786, dated August31, 1880. Application filed March 31, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AZRO FOWLER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county ofIVestchester and State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Actions for Musical Instruments, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a pneumatic action for musical instruments inwhich a pneumatic lever is employed in connection with two valves, onefor controlling the air-supply and the other for coutrollin g theair-exhaust to and from said pneumatic lever.

It consists in thecombination, with the pneumatic lever having a rod orpush-pin, of a reedchest open to external air, an air-chamber arrangedbelow the reed-chest and communicatin with the bellows, a spring-valvearranged between said air-chamber and the reed-chest and actuated by thepin connected with the pneumatic lever to sound the reeds, a chambercommunicating with the bellows and with the pneumatic lever, aspring-valve arranged within this chamber to open or close communicationbetween the same and the pneumatic lever, a vertical pin arranged toactuate this spring-valve and provided with an upper valve for openingor closing communication between the external atmosphere and the passageintermediate of the pneumatic lever and said lastnamed chamber, and akey adapted to operate through the note-perforations in a music-sheetthe pin carrying the two valves.

It also consists in the arrangement of parts as hereinafter particularlyspecified in the claims.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, whichrepresents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention as applied toan automatic musical reed-instrument; but the principal feature of myinvention is also applicable to automatic pianofortes and to organs orother musical wind-instruments.

In the example shown in the drawing, the letter A design-ates thepneumatic lever, which in this instance is intended to be opera-ted byexhaust. It is made, as usual, in the form of a bellows, and itsinterior connects by a channel, a, with an opening, b, which leads intothe open atmosphere, and also with an opening, 0, which leads into achamber, (7, that com municates, by an opening, 0, with the bellows B.In this example the bellows acts by exhaust, and it communicates by anopening,f, with a chamber, g, from which leads an opening, IL, into thereed-chest G. This chest communicates by a channel, 1', with the openair, and if the air from the chamberg is exhausted, and the valvej,which closes the opening it, is opened, the reed is, situated over thisopening, sounds.

The valvej is retained in its closed position by a spring, 7r, and it isopened by a pin, l, which extends from the movable leaf of the pneumaticlever A.

The opening 0, which forms the communication between the exhaustchamber(1 and the pneumatic lever A, is closed by a valve, on, which is exposedto the action of spring a, and on the valve rest-s a pin, 0, whichcarries a valve, 1), and the upper end of which is in such a positionthat it can be acted on by the key D. In the example shown in the,drawing this key is subjected to the action of a spring, q, and it isprovided with a nose, 1', which bears upon the surface of an automaticmusic-sheet, E, and which, whenever it comes opposite to an opening inthe musicsheet, acts on the pin 0, so as to depress the valve 1; uponthe opening 1), and to open the valve m, the spring g, which acts on thekey D, being stronger than the spring a, which has a tendency to keepthe valve m closed. As soon as the opening bis closed and the opening 0opened the air in the interior of the pneumatic lever becomes rarefied,said lever collapses by the action of the external atmosphere, and thevalve j is opened by the action of the pin 1,- but as the music-sheetadvances the key D is raised, the pin 0 is relieved from the pressure ofthe spring q, the valve in is closed by the spring a, and as the valvecloses the pin 0 is forced up and the valve 1) is opened, so as to allowthe external air to pass into the pneumatic lever A, thereby equalizingthe internal and external pressure of the pneumatic lever, so that thespring will close the reed-valve] and raise the movable leaf of thepneumatic lever ready for a subsequent action.

It will be seen from this description that the two valves 12 and m areconnected in such a manner that one must open when the other is closedby the positive action of the pin 0, and consequently the change in theposition of the pneumatic lever must take place instantaneously andwithout fail, and the tone produced by the'action of the key D stops assoon as the action of this key on the pin 0 ceases.

From the above description it will be readily understood that the key1), instead of being controlled by the spring q and the musicsheet E,may rest upon the pin 0 by its own gravity, and may be actuated by thehand of the performer, or, in other words, that my invention isapplicable not only to automatic musical instruments, but also tomelodeons and organs played by hand.

I am aware of Patent No. 214,121, in which is described and shown amusical instrument having a pneumatic lever arranged to operate areedvalve, said pneumatic lever being op erated by two valves upon avalve-stem-the one adapted to regulate the passage from the pneumaticlever to the external atmosphere, the other the passage from thepneumatic lever to the eXhaust-bcllows-said valves being controlled by aperforated music card or tablet,and sueh,therefore,l do not broadlyclaim.

1 am also aware that in mechanical musical instruments of this classmusie-sheets having noteperforations have been employed in connectionwith spring-keys which actuate the valves when the note-perforationscome under such keys.

Various arrangements of valves and airchambers in connection with apneumatic key have also been employed-such, forinstance, as

' found in Patents No. 98,790 and No. 2l4,12l

none of the features of which are broadly claimed in this application.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a pneumatic action for musical instruments, the combination, withthe pneumatic lever A, having a push-pin, l, of the reed-chest open tothe external atmosphere, the air-chamber 9 below the reed-chest, andcommunicating with the bellows B through the portf, the sprin g-valvej,arranged between said air-chamber and the reed-chest and actuated by thepin connected with the pneumatic lever to sound the reeds, the chamberd, communicating with the bellows and with the pneumatic lever, aspring-valve, m, arranged within the chamber (1 to open or closecommunication between the same and the pneumatic lever, a vertical pin,0, arranged to actuate the valve m and provided with a valve, 19, foropening or closing communication between the external atmosphere and thepassage intermediate of the pneumatic lever and the chamber (1, and akey adapted to operate the vertical pin 0 through the note-perforationsin a music-sheet, all constructed and arranged substantially in themanner and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a pneumatic action for musical instruments, the combination of thereed-chest O and the independent air-chambers g and d, an rangedsubstantially in the same horizontal plane and communicating directlywith a bellows, the automatically closing valves j and m, arranged,respectively, in said chambers, the pneumatic lever A, with a passage,a, leadin g to the chamber (1 and provided with a pin, 1, for openingthe valve j, a vertical pin, 0, provided with the-valves p m, the formeradapted to close the port leading from the passage to to the externalatmosphere, and the latter arranged to close the port leading from thesaid passage a to the chamber (1, the key D, controlled by a spring andadapted to act upon the pin 0 through the noteperforations in amusic-sheet, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

AZRO FOWLER. [L. 8.]

Witnesses W. HAUFF, WILLIAM MILLER.

